CHAP. II. 01,1) LONDON BIMIMiK 253 



CHAPTER II. 



OLD LONDON BRIDGE. 



THE erection of the old bridge across the Thames at 

 London was the most formidable enterprise of the kind 

 undertaken in England during the middle ages. It was 

 a work of great difficulty and magnitude, in consequence 

 of the rapid rise and fall of the tides in the river, but it 

 was one of essential importance as connecting the fertile 

 districts lying to the south of the Thames directly with 

 the population of the metropolis. 



As in all similar cases, the ferry (where the river 

 could not be forded) preceded the bridge. The Romans 

 first established a trajectus on the Thames, thus connect- 

 ing their station in London with their military road to 

 Dover. After the Romans the Saxons continued it, and 

 the name of one of the masters of the ferry has descended 

 to us in a tradition of a singular character. 1 This was 



1 The tradition is, that .John Overy broke open the larder and fell to ban- 



reiitnl the i'erry of the City, and quetin;.r, until the dead man could 



\vh;it with hard work, L;Teat <^aiiis, bear it no longer, but rose up in his 



and penurious living, lie beeanie ex- sheet to rate- them. At this, one 



ceedin;j;ly rich. His daughter Mary, of the ferrymen, thinking it was the 



beautiful and of a pious disposition, devil who stood before them, seized 



was sought in marriage by a voiin^ the bntt-end of a broken oar and 



gallant, who was rather more ambi- brained .John Ovcry on the spot. 



tions of beinj; the ferryman's heir Mary Oveiy's gallant, hearing of the 



than his son-in-law. It is related news, rode up to town in all haste 



that the ferryman, in one of his fits of from the country; but, his horse 



usury, formed a scheme of fei^ninx stumbling, lie was thrown, and "brake 



himself dead for twenty-four hours, his neck." On which, Mary Overy 



in the expectation that his servants is said to h;ive founded the church 



would, out of propriety, last until which still bears her name, and made 



oter his funeral. He was laid out as over her possessions to the college of 



dead accordingly, his dan-liter con- 

 senting to the plan, against her better 

 nature. The servants, instead of fast- 



] n-iests which became there established. 



Whatever the truth of this tradition 

 maybe, the probability is that .John 



inu, as the ferryman had anticipated, Overy ip merely another way of spell- 



